Horner was congratulated by Red Bull bosses after F1 engine's wins

Christian Horner says he was congratulated by Red Bull majority shareholders and the company's CEO Oliver Mintzlaff in the wake of its Formula 1 team's first wins with its in-house engine.

The Red Bull Powertrains division that was established in response to Honda's decision to withdraw from F1 at the end of 2021, at first to take over those Honda engines, ultimately ended up becoming a manufacturer in its own right for the 2026 rules cycle.

Its first power unit has been competitive from the off - to the extent that Red Bull has been judged somewhat controversially to have the best in the field under the new-for-2026 Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities mechanism, a system that only accounts for the performance of the internal combustion engine.

It became a race winner in its 16th grand prix as Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, a result he repeated by then winning the sprint race and main event in Singapore a week later.

Horner, Red Bull's founding team principal until his dismissal in summer last year, played an important role in the Red Bull Powertrains project receiving the green light and told The Race's Edd Straw and Jon Noble his contribution had been recognised by the likes of Mintzlaff, with whom he had a difficult relationship while in post.

Asked on The Race F1 Podcast whether he would have done anything differently to what he had observed this year were he still team principal, Horner said: "That's impossible to say, isn't it?

"I think the team is the team that I've put together and built and the shareholders, even after the last victory in Singapore and Malaysia, both of them have independently thanked me and made reference to that fact. And Oliver Mintzlaff very graciously called me after the race in Singapore to thank me for what I've put together and what they've gone on to achieve.

"So I think with time you get perspective as well. Red Bull's just in a different place now, obviously, in terms of how it's operating, which is natural when a presence like the chairman, that was Dietrich Mateschitz, that was Red Bull, is no longer there.

"But the business is, from what I understand, flying; they're doing incredibly, growth-wise. So all I can do is really wish them the best of luck for the future."

Horner said at the time of Red Bull Powertrains' establishment that the late Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz had shown he was "not afraid of risk" and added that while Red Bull "never thought we could have done what we've managed to achieve over the years" with its chassis, "the challenge now is to try and replicate that within the power unit".

He told The Race that it was a "harebrained idea" to set up Red Bull Powertrains, which partnered with Ford for the 2026 engine project, adding that Mateschitz and Red Bull co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya deserved credit because there were people within Red Bull asking "Why the hell are we doing this?".

"But it demonstrated to me that, again, by applying that philosophy of getting a great group of people together, empowering them, giving them clear direction and creating the right culture, giving them the tools...we converted a bubble wrap factory into an engine facility in 55 weeks," said Horner, who is speaking to media ahead of the launch of his memoir, Drive.

"For that engine to go out and be judged to be the most performant engine in Formula 1 in its debut year and win on its 16th attempt, arguably, I see that as one of my biggest achievements during my time at Red Bull.

"And again, it demonstrates to me the power of people, culture, and just everybody being focused on the same objective."

Horner held the dual role of team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing but following the death of Mateschitz in October 2022 an internal power struggle emerged effectively between Horner and Mintzlaff - officially the CEO of corporate projects - plus Helmut Marko, Red Bull's former motorsport advisor.

Having survived a personal scandal in 2024, when Red Bull chose to stick with him after an independent investigation of misconduct against a member of staff cleared him of wrongdoing, Horner was relieved of his duties after the British Grand Prix in July 2025.

Asked whether he had overplayed his hand in the way he had shaped the team, in the context of perceptions that Red Bull was becoming 'Team Horner', he said: "Yeah, and that's what I was told. That's what Helmut told me, at the end.

"You look back, there's always things that you would have done differently or...it's like every race you looked at, you would have performed differently. Is there things that I could have done differently? Yes. Was I true to my beliefs and true to myself? I think I was.

"I was asked to give up parts of the role and I felt it would compromise the role of the leadership of the team. And so I said I wasn't prepared to do that.

"And maybe that contributed to the final decision. But for me, it wouldn't have been the right thing to do. But that's life, isn't it?

"I have a decent relationship with both shareholders [Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz], I was grateful for their comments and their messages. I've seen both of them since I left. It's kind of water under the bridge now. And with Oliver as well, it's all I can do is wish them the best for the future now.

"It's a chapter of my life that I'm proud of what I did and proud of what I achieved and will look back with great fondness of 90% of my time there."

DRIVE by Christian Horner will be published on 22nd October by Bantam: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1911754785

Christian will be sharing stories from the book on tour across the UK (Nottingham Mon 19th, Bath 20th, London 26th October). To book tickets visit: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/christian-horner-tickets/artist/5672765

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